Connor Hughes, The Athletic: Joe, how would you assess Sam (Darnold)’s play this season, and what do you think of his future with this team in 2021 and beyond?
Joe Douglas: Sam’s an ultra-talented quarterback. I really can’t say enough about his grit and his toughness. Ultimately, I have to do a better job of putting talent around Sam, and we have to develop some kind of continuity within the offense moving forward.
The silver lining is there are eight games left, and we have guys coming back healthy, and can do that over the last eight weeks of the season.
Al Iannazzone, Newsday: How do you assess the job Adam (Gase) has done?
Douglas: Again, I’m going to say, this is not all on Adam. I have to do a better job. I have to do a better job of surrounding him with better players and weapons. We’re in this together. I’m going through and trying to think of everything I can do to help Adam, and the goal is to get this fixed together.
Hughes: Do you think you made a mistake letting Robby Anderson walk in free agency?
Douglas: Yeah, Connor, I thought about Robby a lot. There are thousands of decisions that cross your desk during the year. I go back and look at what I could have done better in that specific situation. I thought our guys did a fantastic job of analyzing every position group’s market value leading up to free agency last year.
This story is from the December 2020 edition of NY Jets Confidential.
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This story is from the December 2020 edition of NY Jets Confidential.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
FIRST DOWN- A lot of potential, but a lot to learn
There is a lyric in an old song by the rock group Chicago that sums up where Zach Wilson is right now:
IN HIS OWN WORDS WITH DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR JEFF ULBRICH - Ulbrich breaks down Jets' defensive personnel
(Marcus Maye) can do it all. I would feel comfortable with him (at free or strong safety). He’s a guy that, to me, he can play deep, he can play the half field, he can play the middle third, he can do that and you feel comfortable with it. I think he’s got range, speed and athleticism. I think he’s got ball skills and instincts to be a deep safety. But I think he’s got enough size and girth and want-to and courage to play in the box. It’ll be fun to utilize all the things that he does. He can cover tight ends; he can cover some of the wide receivers in this league.
Dan's Minicamp Diary
Becton bombarded with weighty questions
Saleh calls Wilson ‘relentless' as a worker
QUESTION SESSION WITH QB ZACH WILSON
Jets hope initiatives will increase winning edge
Aside from adding as many good players as possible to help the Jets improve, coach Robert Saleh and GM Joe Douglas are trying to turn over every stone to find extra ways to give their team a winning edge, and two examples of this were announced over the course of the offseason, with the additions of a game management coach (Matt Burke) and the installation of an Athletic Care and Performance Department. Let’s take a closer look at these two moves and how they might help the Jets:
Dan's Spring Camp Diary
This time of year for learning, experimenting, not stats
AUDIBLES-Saleh doesn't cave on offseason work
Tom Brady might be wrong about this one.
SAFETIES
Justin Simmons, Broncos 6-2 • 202 pounds • 27 years old
OFFENSIVE TACKLES
Trent Williams, 49ers 6-5 • 320 pounds • 32 years old
LINEBACKERS
Lavonte David, Buccaneers 6-0 • 226 pounds • 26 years old
